There are a wide variety of communication systems for mobile and computing devices. Some popular examples including instant messaging, email, phone calls, texting and Voice over IP (VoIP). Each approach has its own distinctive features and advantages and work well for many applications.
The assignees of the present application have filed a variety of patent applications that describe a new type of voice or media messaging system. In various implementations of this system, media is progressively generated and sent from one device to another. When the media arrives at the receiving device, it is stored and rendered. Users are able to easily shift between two different modes of operation. In the first mode, users can communicate (e.g., using audio, video or some other type of media or signal) in real time or near real time. In the second, time-shifted mode, users can engage in a series of back and forth delayed transmissions. That is, any sent messages are stored on the receiving device and can be reviewed at any time, even while new messages are concurrently being created, transmitted and downloaded.
The assignees of the present application have filed multiple applications exploring modifications and improvements of the above communications protocol. Although the above system works well, there are ongoing efforts to improve its reliability, performance and the quality of the user experience.